Users Guide

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Standards and protocols
Dell Command | Monitor uses Microsoft Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) and enables Web
Services-Management (WSMAN) protocols. Dell Command | Monitor uses Simple Network Management
Protocol (SNMP) to describe several variables of the system.
CIM, SNMP, WMI, and WSMAN technology overview
The Desktop Management Task Force (DMTF) is the industry-recognized standards body that leads the
development, adoption, and unification of management standards (including CIM and ASF), and initiatives
for desktop, enterprise, and internet environments.
CIM
The CIM, created by the DMTF as part of the Web-based Enterprise Management (WBEM) initiative,
provides a unified view of physical and logical objects in the managed environment.
The following are important CIM details:
• CIM is an object-oriented data model for used to describe management information. CIM describes
the way the data is organized, not necessarily the transport model used to transport the data. The
most prevalent transport method is WMI.
• CIM-capable management applications gather information from a variety of CIM objects and devices,
including client and server systems, network infrastructure devices, and applications.
• The CIM specification details mapping techniques for improved compatibility with other management
protocols.
• The CIM data model abstracts and describes all elements in a network environment. The CIM schema
provides the actual data model descriptions and arranges the network into a series of managed
objects, all interrelated and broadly classified.
• The CIM schema is defined by the Managed Object Format (MOF) file, which provides a standardized
model for describing management information between clients in a management system. The MOF
file is not bound to a particular implementation, and it allows the interchange of management
information among different management systems and clients.
SNMP
SNMP is a widely accepted solution used to manage devices on Internet Protocol (IP) networks. SNMP is
developed and maintained by Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). Dell Command | Monitor accesses
information and monitors client systems using SNMP. Devices that typically support SNMP include
routers, switches, servers, workstations and most of the hardware components. SNMP consists of a set of
standards for network management, including an application layer protocol, a database schema, and a
set of data objects. SNMP exposes management data in the form of variables on the managed systems,
which describe the system configuration. These variables can then be queried by managing applications.
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